Playing through on the Estes Park links

Following flooding of 2013, golf courses to include several "different" looks

By Debbie Holmes

Trail-Gazette

Posted:
04/10/2014 10:16:27 AM MDT

Repair work continues on the 17th fairway and green at the 18-hole golf course. The hole received extensive damage during the September 2013 flooding. (John Cordsen / Trail-Gazette)

Repair work on the 17th hole includes a bit of redesign. (Debbie Holmes / Trail-Gazette)

As the greens find themselves being uncovered, clubs getting dusted off and a new golf season approaching, many find themselves wondering what they're going to find when they head over to the golf course this year. Both the 9-hole and the 18-hole courses received considerable damage last September.

"There are going to be a lot of different looks in everything," said golf manager Mark Miller.

Not only are there some minor changes to the courses and new situations to deal with, Austin Logan is now the assistant golf manager. Logan has replaced Dale Berg who retired last year after being with EVRPD for 20 years.

Heavy equipment is needed to repair the damage done to the 18-hole golf course during the September 2013 flood (Debbie Holmes / Trail-Gazette)

"Austin will be in charge of tournaments, the jr. golf program and everything else that we need to get done," said Miller. "We are very fortunate to have Austin, he's a great asset to our program."

Rich Babcock will be taking over management of the 9-hole pro-shop and staff, replacing Gary and Fran Shelly who have been working with the recreation district for the past several years.

It's been a long recovery for Miller and his staff since the September flood.

"For a while there it was 24/7 for us, trying to salvage and protect the courses. Now it's more like 10/7 for all of us until we open on the 19th," said Miller.

Like so many businesses and recreation areas in town, the golf course had a tremendous physical and financial hit to it's already suffering 2013 season.

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Hole 17 received the most damage during the flood. The little creek that was notorious for grabbing the shots attempted for the green is now a 10-yard, finished creek bed that was re-built with stabilized banks according to the new flood requirements.

"We were told that it had to be built with four, 48-inch culvers at the crossings. It makes the entire 'creek' and crossing look so deep, where before it was only a couple of feet down, now it's five feet down, when you cross over to the green. It looks so much different," said Miller.

The 17th hole at the 18-hole golf course is undergoing renovation after it suffered considerable damge during the flooding of September 2013. (John Cordsen / Trail-Gazette)

EVRPD contracted out the work on hole 17, due to the complicated reconstruction and new flood rules that were now in affect.

"We were very fortunate to have Ross Stevens, a retired landscape architect, offer his skills and services towards rebuilding hole 17," said Miller.

Golfers will recognize fairway 17 from the t-box up until about 100 yards to the green. A little damage was done to the east edge of the fairway, however it's not going to change the play much at all. The new design has a much more friendly approach, finding 30 yards before the green (after the 10 yard creek), out-of-bounds markers being replaced and the fairway bunkers gone.

"Our own grounds crews are rebuilding and fixing all the damage done at the 9-hole course and boy has that been a chore," said Miller.

They are working closely with FEMA, the bureau of reclamation and the Army corp. of engineers as they rebuild the shoreline that runs parallel to holes 5 and 6.

"We've learned so many new terms and words and requirements that we had never thought existed," said Miller.

Currently, holes 4 and 5 at the 9-hole course are still not playable due to the ground water and natural springs that are flowing due to the saturation of the ground. The grounds crew has been attempting various draining options in attempt to make the area playable.

"This year ground water will be a issue for all golfers for a long time. It'll be important that players obey the signs and stay away from areas that we have off limits in order to protect our grounds and for safety," said Miller.

The 9-hole course will close when the 18-hole opens officially on April 19 and it re-opens on May 9. Golf passes and prices are now available for purchase. Go to http://evrpd.com/golf/golf-course-info to find out about purchasing your golf pass.

"The past several years golf has seen a steady decline in players and income. We are hoping that this year is a lot better than the last several years and definitely better than last year," said Miller. "Estes is still one of the most beautiful places to play golf and our course will once again be as beautiful as ever."

Golf leagues ready to tee off

With the golf season just around the corner, the Estes Park men's, women's and 9-Hole leagues are gearing up to begin their summer play.

The Estes Park Women's Golf Association begins on Tuesday, May 6. Their opening luncheon will be held at the Hangar Restaurant on Tuesday, April 29. The women's club plays every Tuesday morning throughout the summer.

The Estes Park Men's Golf Association begins their club play on Monday, April 21. The men's club plays every Monday morning throughout the summer.

The 9-Hole Men's Club begins on Monday, May 11 at the Estes 9-hole golf course. Contactepmgolf@gmail.com for more information about the 9-hole club.

If you are interested in finding out more about the 18-hole women's or men's clubs please contact18hole@golfestes.com , call 970-586-8146 or stop by the 18-hole club house to find out more about joining. The Estes Park golfing community encourages and welcomes all new players, no matter what your handicap. Stop in or call today to join.